Housing for enclosing instruments and the like to be mounted on front instrument panel of compartment of automobile

ABSTRACT

A housing for enclosing instruments, such as meters, gages, a radio, control units for an air-conditioning system, etc. and the like in the partitioned chambers integrally formed with the main body of the housing made of a synthetic resin. The housing further includes an air duct integrally formed therewith and made of a foamed synthetic resin so as to have a spongelike structure, and a plurality of electric conductors embedded in the walls of the main body for electrically connecting said instruments and the like with the exterior and with each other.

United States Patent Kunishi et al.

[451 Jan. 18, 1972 HOUSING FOR ENCLOSING INSTRUMENTS AND THE LIKE TO BE MOUNTED ON FRONT INSTRUMENT PANEL OF COMPARTMENT OF AUTOMOBILE Inventors: Takeshi Kunishi; Yoshihiro Kawade, both of Kariya-shi; Koiti Yamakita; Ryozo Takaki, both of Aichi-ken; Katuhiro Yamanaka, Hekinan-shi, all of Japan Assignee: Nippondenso Kabushiki Kaisha, Kariyashi, Aichi-ken, Japan Filed: Dec. 11, 1969 Appl. No.: 884,271

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 17, 1968 Japan ..43/92905 US. Cl ..180/90, 3 l2/223, 3 I 7/99 Int. Cl ..B60k 37/00 Field of Search ..l/90; 280/ B; 98/2;

3 l7/l0l,99, I00, 3 12/7, 223

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,270,831 9/l 966 Woofter et al 1 80/90 2,902,838 9/l 959 Nichols ..98/2 3,042,137 7/l962 Mathues et al. /90

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 830,463 2/1952 Germany 1 80/90 I Primary Examiner-Kenneth H. Betts Attorney-Cushman, Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT A housing for enclosing instruments, such as meters, gages, a radio, control units for an air-conditioning system, etc. and the like in the partitioned chambers integrally formed with the main body of the housing made of a synthetic resin. The housing further includes an air duct integrally formed therewith and made of a foamed synthetic resin so as to have a spongelike structure, and a plurality of electric conductors embedded in the walls of the main body for electrically connecting said instruments and the like with the exterior and with each other.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN: 8 I972 r ATTORNEYS HOUSING FOR ENCLOSING'INSTRUMENTS AND THE LIKE TO BE MOUNTED N FRONT INSTRUMENT PANEL OF COMPARTMENT OF AUTOMOBILE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present. invention relates to an instrumentpanel ofan automobile and more particularly a housing for enclosing therein instruments, such as meters, gages, a radio, control units for an air-conditioning system, etc., andthe liketobe mounted on the front instrument panel'of thecompartmentrof an automobile,.of the type in which saidinstruments and'the like are housed in the partitioned chambers and'rthe electrical connectionsof said instruments and the like witheach other and the exterior can be effected.

On the instrument panel of an automobile are mounteda speed meter, a tachometer, a fuel gage, a radio, control=units for an air-conditioning system, and other accessories suchas cigarette lighter, a clockand so on all of which are required for the safeguarded operation of the automobile and forimproving the maneuverablity and increasingthe comforts and pleasure of driving. The above-described metersand so orrare electrically connected with each other and with their corresponding instruments, machines, equipments and the like through lead wiresor printed-circuit boards. However, in case of the wiring by useof the lead wires, a. relatively large space is required; the lead wires are entangled with each other, thus causing the misconnections; and. they tendto bedisconnected. In case of the wiring through the printed circuit boardsythe cost of wiring becomes very expensive because of the special production methods of the printed circuit boards. Furthermore, the printedcircuit boards are limited .only to the platelike configurationso that the wiring design islimited.

Generally, the. conventional instrument panel consists of a housing member forenclosing therein the meters, gagesand the like, another housing for enclosing thereina radio,.control units for an air-conditioning system, etc., and a glove box. These housings or chambers andthe glove boxare fabricated independently and then assembled into a. unitary construction so that the number of fabrication and assembly steps is inevitably and disadvantag'eously increased. Furthermore, since the air duct for said air-conditioning system is extended through a very small space behind: the instrument panel, the installation work thereof is very difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention. is to provide a housing for enclosing thereinithe aboverdescribed instruments and'the like having a plurality of integrally formed partitioned chambers and an integrally formed air. duct, said housing being made of a synthetic resin, thereby reducingthe number of fabrication and assembly steps and eliminating the air duct installation work'and the assembly. of theindependent chambersand boxes.

Another object of the present inventionzis'to.provideahousing of the character described above having .an integrally formed air duct which is made of a foamed synthetic resin. so as'to have a spongelike structure, thereby improving the thermal insulation between the interior of the housingand thelair duct so as to prevent the adverse effects of the heated air flowing through the air duct upon. the meters and the like and the chemical and electrolytic corrosions of these instruments and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a housing of theztype described abovefurther including electric conductors embedded in the walls thereof inorderto facilitate the electrical connections ofthe metersrand the. likewith'each other and with the exterior and prevent-the faults due to the disconnection, etc. It must be noted that. theseembeddedcon- .ductors also serve as the reinforcingmembers ofthe'housing so that it becomes more rigid in construction. v

' The above and other objects, featuresand advantages of the ,present invention will become more apparentfrom the following description of one illustrative embodiment thereof with reference to the.accornpanyingdrawing.

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of trimming according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view viewed in the direction indicated by the arrowPinFlG. l; v

FIG. '3 is asectional view taken along the line A-A of F IG. 2, illustrating especially the arrangement of the embedded electric conductors;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the connection between the embedded conductor and the terminals of azmeter or the like enclosed in the housing;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a variation taken along the line similarto-theline 8-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. I and 2, a box-shaped main body 1 has a chamber 2 forenclosing therein instruments such as a speed meter, atachometer, a fuel gage, etc.; another chamber 3 for enclosing therein a radio, control units for an air-conditioning system, etc.; a glove box 4 and an air duct 5 integrally formed with theumain body 1. The box-shaped main body consists of an inner layer la made of a thermoplastic or thennosetting FIG. 5) and numeral 7 designates a discharge pipe (see FIG.

In the walls of the chambers, especially the chambers 2 and .3 which enclose therein the meters and thelikc which requires electrical connections are provided with electric conductors 8 embedded therein for wiring in the vicinity of the boundary between the'inner and outer layers la and lb. The condu'ctors .8 maybe bare or insulated and may be of round, square or flat wires depending on their purpose.

.By useof the embedded conductors 8, any circuit may be established in the body of the prese'nt'invention. Insertion holes 9areformed through the walls of the main body 1 so as to provide an access to the electric conductors 8 embedded.

For electrical connections of the meters and the like, a terminal 1' 0. thereof may be directly connected to the projection 8a extending out of the innerlayer la and a terminal 11 may be inserted into the hole 8 for connection with the conductor "8, asshownin FIG. 4. The terminals 8b of the conductors 8 for connection with the exterior instruments, machines, equipments. and the like are all collected at one specific portion of the back surface of the main body 1 so as to facilitate the electrical connections.

The heated or cooledair from an air-conditioning system is introduced into the duct 5 and then discharged through the pipe 7.. Since the air duct 5-has the sponge-type structure as described above, the'main'body 1 is satisfactorily thermally insulated-from theair duct.5 so'that the meters and the like in the mainbody 1 may be well protected from being frosted and the electrical junctions may be prevented from the chemical andelectrolytic.corrosions.

. Whenprojected or expandedportions l2 and 13 having the spongestructure are formed at the front portions of the main body las shown in FIG. 6, the impact caused by the collision of the automobile can be satisfactorily damped.

, The present invention has been so far described in particular reference to the one illustrative embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected without departing the true spiritof the present inventionas described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

Whatis claimed is:

1. A housing for enclosing instruments such as meters, a said air-condition system; radio, control units foranair-conditioning system.and the like said air duct being made of a foamed resin and having a to be mounted on a front instrument panel in the compartspo gel ike ru tu ement f an utomobile, comprising a b h d b d d 2. A housing as set forth in claim I wherein electric conducof a synthetic resin and having 5 tors for wiring are embedded in the a plurality of chambers in which a instrumenw and the walls of said chambers enclosing the instruments and the like are to be endow!i and like which require the electrical connections. an air duct integrally molded with said box-shaped body for 

1. A housing for enclosing instruments such as meters, a radio, control units for an air-conditioning system, and the like to be mounted on a front instrument panel in the compartment of an automobile, comprising a box-shaped body made of a synthetic resin and having a plurality of chambers in which said instruments and the like are to be enclosed, and an air duct integrally molded with said box-shaped body for said air-condition system; said air duct being made of a foamed resin and having a spongelike structure.
 2. A housing as set forth in claim 1 wherein electric conductors for wiring are embedded in the walls of said chambers enclosing the instruments and the like which require the electrical connections. 